Aeon

Did Homo Erectus Speak?

Early hominins who sailed across oceans left indirect evidence that they might have been the first to use language

Return of the City-State

Nation-states came late to history, and there’s plenty of evidence to suggest they won’t make it to the end of the century

How Natural is Numeracy?

Where does our number sense come from? Is it a neural capacity we are born with — or is it a product of our culture?

Why Women Stray

Evolutionary theory says men stray to increase offspring, but what motivates women? Enter the mate-switching hypothesis

Hail the Maintainers

Capitalism excels at innovation but is failing at maintenance, and for most lives it is maintenance that matters more

Disgust Made us Human

Our ancestors reacted to parasites with overwhelming revulsion, wiring the brain for morals, manners, politics and laws

Life Rocks

Could meteorites be akin to lifeboats from other planets? Or do they reveal more about life on Earth than off it?

The Empty Brain

Your brain does not process information, retrieve knowledge or store memories. In short: your brain is not a computer

The Problem with P-values

Academic psychology and medical testing are both dogged by unreliability. The reason is clear: we got probability wrong

Datagasm

Ever-faster feedback loops and micro-targeted digital porn are pushing human sexuality into some seriously weird places

Euphemise This

Euphemisms are like underwear: best changed frequently. What work are they doing in our language and why do they expire?

The Case Against Sugar

A potent toxin that alters hormones and metabolism, sugar sets the stage for epidemic levels of obesity and diabetes

Russia Against The Western Way Of Love

Love in the West is consumerist – we choose a partner to give us what we think we need. But Russians do things differently

User Behaviour

Websites and apps are designed for compulsion, even addiction. Should the net be regulated like drugs or casinos?

Backyard Evolution

Evolution works through tiny corridors of space and time, churning genes and transforming species before our very eyes

Childhood, Disrupted

Adversity in childhood can create long-lasting scars, damaging our cells and our DNA, and making us sick as adults

You can do it, baby!

Our culture is rich with esteem-boosting platitudes for young dreamers, but the assurances are dishonest and dangerous

Rethinking Extinction

The idea that we are edging up to a mass extinction is not just wrong – it’s a recipe for panic and paralysis

Future Reading

Digital books stagnate in closed, dull systems, while printed books are shareable, lovely and enduring. What comes next?

English is Not Normal

No, English isn’t uniquely vibrant or mighty or adaptable. But it really is weirder than pretty much every other language